Champions of Darkwell
by xxAmbraxx
Summary: What would you do if you suddenly had the powers of the champion you mained? Would you use it to your own advantage, or would you try to find out why? Carmine Reid is a regular small town young woman, having moved from NY to Darkwell, a city on the West coast. Life seems to be great, that is, until she gets the abilities of her favorite champion. Will she survive?
1. Prologue

Slivers of moonlight filtered down from the skies above, piercing through the darkening clouds like silver arrows. From behind the shadowy billowing masses fell a steady yet sparse curtain of rain. The misty veil caught the light of the glowing orb hanging full in the night sky, casting a mysterious glow over the damp city below. Streetlights and the crimson trails of headlights illuminated the puddles on the dark gray floors while the smell of moisture hung heavy in the air. Even though the atmosphere was dreary and dull, there was still light—a dazzle of different colors, flowing and ebbing like individual spirits drifting through the rainy wind.

Something told her to avoid the luminescence. It was stronger than her urge to chase the beautiful hues through Darkwell's streets. Instead, the voice told her to hide—and so, she did. She snaked into the nooks and crannies, between and behind the small-town stores and houses. There, it was like another world; a labyrinth of soggy paths and foul-smelling corners. There, Darkwell's infamous stragglers made their homes. The homeless huddled underneath thin blankets as they struggled to sleep in the cold. The junkies smoked pot and munched on chips as they droned on about nonsense. Shady transactions occurred in the darkest of alleyways. The labyrinth was dangerous, and people like her weren't welcome there. There had been many stories of young girls and boys being lured there, only for them to emerge with their clothes ripped to shreds and their pockets empty of their personal belongings.

But the voice was persistent, and she hid behind a tin garbage can, away from the sight of the unfortunate as they groaned and rubbed their greasy faces. It was dark, but her eyes picked up everything that happened before her. The rats scuttling across the floors. The birds sleeping within their nests near the rooftops. Young boys laughing as they rolled their hash into damp pieces of paper, the small flames of their lighters eating away at the edges of the new cigarettes. A man eloped with his lover as he kept her pinned against the stone walls.

A deep, painful feeling rolled like thunder within her stomach. Hunger was a thing she, along with everyone else in the world, experienced often. She usually didn't eat much—an order of chicken nuggets and fries would sate her appetite on good days. But the hunger that was thrashing her stomach was unlike anything that she had ever felt before; the voice came back, its tone desperate and frantic as it made itself clear.

 _Seek, hunt, kill, eat,_ it shrieked at her, and her heartbeat quickened in response. _Seek, hunt, kill, eat._

She did not think about what exactly she would be hunting, or killing, or eating. All that she knew was that she was hungry, and the painful, clawing feeling deep in her abdomen would not leave as long as she did not eat. Even as she waited, the sensation rose like bile in her throat, leaking into her mouth and causing her to salivate. It had not been long since she had a meal, but to her, it felt like an eternity since she laid eyes on a plate of food.

It was not long before a young man passed by the garbage can. Luckily, he did not see her taking shelter behind its pale mass. He staggered down the alley, his footsteps short and lanky. She noted that he was intoxicated and generally unaware of his surroundings. Her eyes focused on how slowly he moved; it was as if he was some sort of injured creature, crawling to safety. As she watched, the sharp feelings in her intestines and throat only increased. _Seek, hunt, kill, eat,_ the voice cried out again, wailing like a starving child. _Seek, hunt, kill, eat._

Her body moved before her mind did—her long legs glided effortlessly over the concrete, silent as she approached her prey. The male did not even turn around, even when she lurked in his very footsteps. Her heartbeat rang in her eardrums as she felt her lips curl backwards and saliva drip from her canines.

The hunger drove her to leap up, her arms wrapping around the torso of her prey. The male yelped in shock as long talons tore into his shirt, ripping the fabric as he fell to the ground. He had no chance to scream as her teeth sank into the back of his neck and dug in deep. Agonizing gasps escaped him as her grip on his throat only deepened, and the taste of blood flooded her mouth. It was not long before she found the vertebrae at the base of his cervix. Her strong jaw made short work of the thick bone, crunching down on it greedily as she drank his blood. Her tongue indulged in its flavor as she rendered tender flesh from the corpse. She wolfed down chunks of meat as she tore at the rest of the body, blood spilling onto the wet ground as she worked diligently in order to get the most she could into her stomach. Yet, the hunger kept clawing at her chest, begging for more of the blood and flesh of the young man.

 _More,_ the voice begged childishly, stubbornly. Even as she chewed on the tender muscles of her prey's thighs, it cried out. _More!_


	2. Chapter One

Her heartbeat was roaring in her ears when she woke up.

The cotton sheets of her pillow rubbed up against her sore head as she shifted underneath her blanket. Her stomach twisted and turned within the confines of her abdomen. Nausea was something that was familiar to Carmine; the packets of frozen food that she ate during the nights would often not sit in her stomach right while she slept, and she would usually be at the verge of throwing it up in the early hours of the morning. Even the light filtering through the cheap plastic blinds hanging in her bedroom made her want to puke. A groan crept through her partially open lips as she rolled onto her back, her stomach protesting loudly with every movement she made. _Did I get drunk and black out or something?_ she thought to herself, her eyes remaining screwed shut as she struggled her best to get some semblance of what happened the night prior. But no matter how hard she tried to think, nothing really strange came up within the confines of her mind—other than the nightmare that plagued her the night prior.

A weary groan escaped her lips as she threw her legs over the side of her bed. It creaked loudly as she moved, which only aggravated her throbbing headache. She was not brave enough to open her eyes; she waited until her light-headedness went away, and that was when her eyes crept out from behind her eyelids. The rays of sunlight, pale gold in the morning breeze, shone brightly into the room. Even if she did not puke up the contents of her stomach, the bright sunbeams taunted her from beyond her window frame. She was lucky she could get out of bed, but even luckier that she did have work today. And if by some chance she did have work, it would not have been a good day. She wasn't even sure if she would have been able to properly fix her dark, matted hair, much less apply the usual blush and mascara to her exhausted and dry features.

It took longer than it should have for Carmine to shower. Perhaps she shouldn't have decided that right then was a good time to shave her legs. It certainly wasn't fun to nurse the bleeding wounds that littered her ankles, and even it was even worse to watch it mingle with the bathwater as she stood in the shower. Her stomach turned again, and she prevented herself from gagging. _Maybe I should watch what I eat today,_ she thought disdainfully, stepping out of the shower as she grumbled a curse to herself.

After drying off her hair and let it fall over her shoulders, she pulled on the clothing that she laid out overnight; a soft, pink short-sleeved sweater and a pair of gray cotton yoga pants. She eyed herself in the mirror, noticing the dark rings below her eyes. "Wow," she sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I really do look like shit."

It wasn't like she really cared, anyway—it was the weekend, and a chilly one, at that. So what if her limbs ached and her head throbbed every time she moved? Carmine didn't have any big plans, anyway. That, and she looked pretty decent for someone who actually felt like passing out for the rest of the day. She left the bathroom, pulled on a dusty old cardigan hanging from the closet, grabbed her purse, and stepped out of the door to her small apartment. The musty smell of the apartment complex's corridors reached her nostrils, stronger than ever. She cringed at the stank, covering her nose as she marched down the stairs and out the door.

Carmine released her grip on her nose, wondering what exactly could be wrong with her. It couldn't just be the frozen food, could it? Maybe it was that moldy donut she ate as dessert. Or maybe it was the several hours of League of Legends she played before getting to bed.

League was her favorite pastime. Sure, it was just some stupid little game that one could easily get addicted to, but to her, it was something more. Each match was different— with two teams, five roles, three lanes, and an area known as the jungle on each side, each player had some sort of purpose that they had to fulfill via picking from a multitude of different characters, or "champions". Top lane players were the tanks that absorbed damage from the damage dealers and made sure to keep them away from their powerful teammates, junglers were the ones who lurked in the shadows of the brush and jungle camps, just waiting to pounce on unwary prey, mid lane and attack damage carries were usually the champions who dealt huge amounts of damage but died rather easily, and supports were the ones who kept the players alive by healing, shielding, and locking enemies in place using specific spells.

To her, League was something that she was extremely passionate about. She could spend the whole day playing without getting bored of the game. She could play by herself, with friends, with enemies, or even fool around and test something new. The possibilities were endless. And luckily, Carmine had friends in Darkwell City that actually played, so she could actually hang out with them and talk about her previous games in person.

It was true that she might play a little too much, but it wasn't like she had anything better to do. Nothing exciting happened in Darkwell, anyway. They were lucky if they got a Christmas parade in the winter, or if the kids went Easter egg hunting in the spring. It felt as if a whole year was really a decade within the small town, and a decade was just a string of centuries. Time seemed to truly stop within the borders of Darkwell, but that was probably because the citizens really had nothing to do in their spare time—other than loiter at bars or watch movies at home.

Some time passed by before Carmine found herself at her destination: a cozy little café on one of many street corners. As she pushed open the glass-paned door, she felt the smell of dark roast coffee work its way into her nostrils. A couple of people stuck near the windows as they sat at round, pale oak tables, seemingly unbothered with the light that filtered through the clean glass. Even though they spoke, their voices were almost a drone as they discussed the night prior and what they had planned for the day.

"Carmine!" a familiar voice rang out, cheery and bright much like the scathing sun. Her light brown eyes flickered towards the area it sounded from, almost expecting the caramel-haired woman sitting at one of the corner seats. Her smile only widened as she was noticed. "You're late… I thought you'd never get here!"

With a sigh, she shook her head as she strode towards the table. She slung her purse over the backrest of the wooden chair before sitting down across from her friend. "Sorry, Naomi," Carmine couldn't help but apologize half-heartedly. "I had a bad night. I woke up feeling like I had the flu."

Naomi's bright blue eyes widened. "I feel you," she said. "I think it's just that time of year again. Flus and germs and sneezing and all. I think my allergies are even starting to act up."

"But you don't even have allergies."

"That's what I thought!" Naomi pouted childishly. "But you can't explain waking up feeling like you have a balloon for your head! I couldn't even breathe properly for the first half of the morning. It was like having a cat sitting on my chest—"

Carmine shook her head as Naomi continued to rant about her terrible first hours of the day. Sure, her voice was a hassle to deal with when she still felt the fuzz from her dreams still lurking around in her head, but she really was a good, loyal friend. She had known her for about three years, ever since she arrived in Darkwell. Naomi had been the one to introduce her to her own friends and even helped her get a place for herself. She didn't know if it was because she just liked her or she just pitied her for being alone.

The black-haired woman rubbed the surface of the table with her index finger as she listened to Naomi drone on. "Naomi, did you order my coffee?" she asked her, interrupting her frivolous monologue about stale bagels.

"Yeah, I did," she answered, narrowing her eyes at her as her tone became somewhat offended. "Do you really think I'm that forgetful?"

Carmine snickered. "I don't know. After last night, I think I'm prone to believing anything you did."

Naomi's eyes widened slightly. "So what if I forgot to build sightstone in our games?" she cried out. "I'm human! I make mistakes!"

"Yeah, and the lack of vision in our jungle caused us to lose the game," Carmine became somewhat sour as she remembered the matches that she played with Naomi. She had always been a support player, and she knew that wards were important when it came to protecting her teammates from the games' murky fog-of-war. But Naomi was somewhat of an airhead—she often forgot to buy game-changing items from the store. Once, she had even bought an item that did not work hand-in-hand with her champion at all. There were only certain types of items that one could buy for a champion to make them relevant in team fights, and if you fucked up or fooled around, then you'd be useless when it came to a game-changing moment. "Do you have any idea how many times the enemy players killed me on _our_ side of the map?"

Before her friend could open her mouth to retaliate, one of the café workers pranced over to their table with two cups upon the tray that he carried. Steam drifted off the lips of the porcelain mugs as the waiter set them upon their table, complete with a coaster to prevent rings of moisture from staining the wood of the table itself. The sight of the delicious coffee distracted the two friends from their disagreement as Carmine was the first one to grab a hold of the hot cup.

"You know, they say that Nidalee is good in the jungle now," Naomi explained.

"Duh," Carmine rolled her eyes as she blew the hot steam from the cup. "That's why I play her so much. There's just something satisfying about max-range spears, and leaping onto an ADC in her cougar form and chunking their health bars."

"She looks pretty fun, but you know I suck at playing a damage dealing role."

"I hate to break it to you, but I'm pretty sure you suck overall."

"Hahaha. Very funny."

Banter was a common occurrence between the two friends. Carmine noticed that she was not bothered by Naomi's feeble attempts at trying to be "mean to her", as she would call it. She was sure that the younger woman was indifferent to the jabs that she tossed at her, as she had never brought it before no matter how heated their little "arguments" became. "Honestly though, she is actually pretty fun. She was one of the first champions I've ever tried, even though I completely did shit at her," Carmine continued, ripping the top off of a sugar packet before dumping its contents into the coffee.

Naomi sipped at her own mug, swinging her legs from atop the high chair she sat in. "Mhm," she simply said in response.

"Anyway," Carmine played with the small spoon that was given to her along with her drink before placing it within the container. She stirred the silky drink, watching the froth swish around in a circle as it flowed around the shaft of her spoon. The word she uttered brought Naomi's eyes back to her. "How'd that date with Xavier go?"

The other female spluttered at the question. "What—" she coughed, her cheeks becoming dusted with red. "What's with you asking all of a sudden?"

"Well, it's been like a week since you went out with him, and you haven't even said a word to me about it yet."

The brunette puffed out her cheeks, seemingly realizing that her friend wasn't going to give up until she gave her an answer. "It was terrible," Naomi sighed, resting her chin in her hand.

"What?" Carmine couldn't help but feel surprised. Naomi had met Xavier in school, and their relationship delved deeper once they discovered they had a similar love for video gaming; when Naomi found out that Xavier played League, the two of them had played several games with one another.

It wasn't long before Naomi's eyes once again drifted down to the coffee before her. "So, like," she began awkwardly, swinging her spoon as she avoided eye contact. "He's pretty cute and all, but he wouldn't shut up about himself. I literally learned all about him. Like, literally," she leaned forward in her seat. _"He wouldn't keep his trap shut."_

"Well, what do you expect when a rich boy takes you out to eat," Carmine snorted.

"I didn't think he was one of _those_ rich boys."

"Really now?" she tipped her head. "I could smell those kinds of people from far away, and trust me, he stank of arrogance."

Naomi huffed. "I'm not as smart as you are, you know," she retorted almost immediately. She could tell that she really was embarrassed about the whole ordeal.

Deciding to let the whole ordeal finish once and for all, Carmine gulped down her coffee in silence. It was funny to see Naomi get all flustered about her errors, even though the object of humor certainly didn't think so. "What do you have planned for today?" she asked.

"Dunno," Naomi shrugged. "Probably gonna get home soon."

"Home? Already?"

"I really don't feel all too well."

"Are the allergies really messing you up that much?" Carmine quirked a brow, prodding her for the source of her discomfort.

Naomi nodded her head. "It's really weird," she said, looking out the window at a couple that passed by. "I felt just fine yesterday, but now I feel like I'm literally drowning."

"Maybe you should go and pick up some Claritin," the raven-haired woman explained. Even though Naomi could be considered somewhat of a person that exaggerated, seeing her friend in such a state concerned her greatly. The fall-time allergens hadn't even made a huge impact. "Or maybe it's just that you're getting sick."

"Maybe," Naomi sniffled.

Carmine sighed in response. It was during these times that she truly felt like a mother, especially towards Naomi; even though the girl was only two years younger than her, it was as if she had to take care of a baby. Though, she couldn't really complain. She liked having someone to care for, even if it was a rather loud young woman with a bad taste in boys. "Just take care of yourself," she told her, setting down her empty cup upon the coaster.

"I will," her companion replied.

"That means no playing League for tonight," she emphasized what she meant sternly, much to the distain of Naomi, who groaned in response.

"But the ranked season ends soon, and I gotta get out of bronze!"

"You have enough time for that—and even if you _don't_ , you have next year, too. I don't want you to text me at three in the morning saying that you threw up because you played five games while you were sick."

 _"Finnneeeee,"_ Naomi sighed, grimacing as if she had just swallowed a spoonful of cough syrup. Carmine watched as she pulled her wallet from her purse and unzipped the side in order to gain access to her coins. Her fingers struggled to pull out several quarters from the confines of the pouch, but once she was done with the battle with her wallet, she had four large coins sitting upon the table. "It's a good thing that this coffee is so cheap," she said as she poked the quarters. "A dollar a cup isn't much to complain about."

Carmine hummed in agreement, pulling out a dollar from her own wallet. She set it beside Naomi's quarters as she thought about what she was going to do when she didn't have her friend around. Usually, they just roamed the streets and talked, but it appeared as if her plans would have to change. "I guess I'll see you around, then," she told her as she got up from her seat and slung her purse over her shoulders. "Text me if you need anything and I'll pass by the pharmacy before I get home."

Naomi only nodded at her proposition, and that was when Carmine waved in farewell. She knew that her friend didn't like to follow her directions, most of the time—but this was something fairly important, at least, to her. If she didn't tell her to get rest, then she would whine to her over text message or the phone, and she would have to explain that she told her to rest when she didn't. It was an endless cycle.

 _At least the coffee was good_ , Carmine thought as she exited the café, feeling the chill of autumn once again ravage her exposed skin. Even though Darkwell was near the border of northern California, she felt as if the temperatures were lower than usual. Then again… she probably should have worn something that covered her more. The short-sleeved, pink sweater that covered her torso wasn't really doing anything to protect her body from the chilly breeze. She cursed herself, rubbing her bare arms as she braced herself in the wind. _Shit. I don't know what told me to wear this in the first place…_

Despite being somewhat uncomfortable in the breezy weather, she continued to make her way down the street. "If Naomi isn't available to hang out, then I'll just go through the rest of my contacts," she muttered to herself as she pulled out her phone. Her fingers swiped down the contact list as she searched for a familiar name. It was funny to see how many people were on the list in the first place—she still even had numbers from her friends back at New York, and she didn't even talk to them much anymore.

She didn't really find someone who she wanted to spend the day with. Most of her friends were alright, she guessed… but Carmine found herself to be extremely picky for that day. Not to mention, she was beginning to feel a little ill as well. _I really hope that Naomi didn't give me her little bug,_ she cursed under her breath. She was pretty sure that she got her flu shot just before the school year started, but she was beginning to feel her face start to heat up.

It was probably best if she were to get home, even if it was only two o clock in the afternoon. But it would be even worse if she got extremely sick—Carmine hated to be sick in the first place. Especially if she could have taken precautions to prevent disease from infiltrating her immune system…

Not many people drove down the streets as she made her way home. It was strange to see Darkwell in such a state; usually people would be up and about during the early hours of the afternoon. There would be mothers bustling about the town square, struggling to do errands while their children were at school. The students from the nearby community college would roam around the streets in search of food. But now, there was hardly a dozen people up and about. It was quite strange to see on a weekday.

As Carmine walked, she felt her phone buzz within the confines of her purse. She dug her hand into the bag and once again pulled out her cellphone. The screen flashed with a text notification, but she didn't even bother to read it. Whoever sent it would probably keep spamming her with messages if they saw that she read it, and honestly, she wasn't in the mood to have her phone be flooded with texts in the first place. She shoved the phone back into the purse, zipping it shut and deciding to ignore whoever else tried to get in contact with her. Even the bright light from the screen got her nauseous enough.

She couldn't get over how weird this all was; first, there was the strange dream, and then it was the aches and pains, and now the fever and chills. Something had to have happened the night prior in order to make her feel this way. There had to have been something other than the several games she played. Carmine hoped that a good bowl of soup or ginger ale would make her feel better. If not… then she should probably make an appointment to go to the doctor if she didn't feel better tomorrow.

Just like she left her home to go to the café, it felt like forever to get back to the apartment complex. As if she were some sort of soldier, she marched up the stairs and pulled out the keys to her own little living space. It took some effort for her to push open the door to her room, her body basically screaming in complaint as she dealt with the faulty lock with force. _Jesus Christ_ , she thought, finally able to shove the door open. _It's a miracle that they still haven't bothered to check the quality of these damned doors. I wouldn't be surprised if I'm locked out during the winter, when the frosty weather sets in._

The thought of being stranded outside her apartment while she waited for her landlord to go fix it in the dead of winter made her blood boil. It was a shame that the guy didn't take her complaints seriously. Then again, he really never listened to the protests in the first place. Typically, Mister Garland was your normal landlord: fussy, angry, and one of those people who didn't want to deal with bullshit.

Carmine rushed to get herself into warmer clothing as soon as the door closed behind her. She slipped on one of the few pajamas she had—even though they were embroidered with some sort of childish Disney character, she liked how warm and comfortable they made her feel. "Finally," she told herself as she slipped into her slippers. "I didn't want to be outside for too long, anyway."

She sloppily folded the clothing that she had worn for the few hours she was outside and placed them within the drawers. They didn't smell, so they didn't need to be washed. Mister Garland would probably have her head if she did laundry too often, anyway, and so Carmine tried to only use the washing machine once every week or so.

The wooden floors of the apartment building creaked as she walked into the small dormitory she had. Her bed was messy, still having not been made since the morning. Light still blared through the window onto the wrinkled sheets. _I'll fix that later._

The empty space that the coffee filled in her stomach was once again vacant. Carmine was surprised to hear her belly grumbling lightly to itself. She shrugged. Usually a cup of coffee lasted her a few hours, until dinner time. But maybe her body needed the extra food in order to fend off whatever little ailment she had. Plucking a packet of ramen from one of the cabinets at her desk, she carried it to the kitchen and tore it open. Her fingers deftly worked to open the smaller packets within the plastic bowl, filling the container up with tap water before dumping them inside. Within a few short moments, the ramen was being heated up by the microwave.

Carmine leaned against the small table that her microwave was on, eagerly waiting for the three minutes to pass. She was never fond of processed foods, but the hunger had been clawing at her stomach ever since she got home. It was like something that she had never even heard of; her famished body was not only begging for food, but her legs and arms itched to do something. What, she didn't know. She brushed it off as if it was some sort of anxiety attack, and continued to watch the timer tick away. The few moments of "peace" were interrupted when something abruptly brushed against her elbow, making her practically jump up in shock.

But when she turned around to see who was her supposed assailant, she was only met with wide, inquisitive orange eyes. "Oh," Carmine forced herself to relax as she saw that it was just her cat. The brown-furred creature pointed his berry pink nose towards her as he sniffed the air. "Hi, Stripes. You're up early."

The cat simply blinked at her, twitching his tail as he watched her pull the ramen from the microwave oven. After she finally settled down behind the cheap countertop, she flicked on the dusty old mini television that had found a place near the microwave itself. It took a while for it to power on, but luckily, it was able to show her a vague image of a pair of news casters. While it produced a light static sound and the picture wavered slightly, Carmine couldn't bring herself to complain. She was lucky she had a television, after all. She watched the screen intently, chewing on ramen noodles as Stripes laid on the table next to her.

"We now bring you to the daily report," said the woman in the pretty dress as she stared back at her. "We've received details about a rabid dog in the area. Last night, at approximately one o clock in the morning, bystanders within the alleyways of Darkwell reported that they saw a large creature traversing the district. It was only described to be skittish while it avoided human contact. This morning, a man was discovered mortally wounded within the alleyways as well. He was rushed to the hospital where he later died. Authorities say that citizens should avoid going out in late hours of the night and should always be in plain sight. Travelling with others is recommended. Now, continuing on, look at how cute this dog is—"

Carmine realized that she had stopped eating her noodles, staring at the television screen while she was mid-chew. _What?_

There was no way that… that dream of hers was true. It would be as crazy as saying that she was a skin-walker, or skin-changer, or whatever, and those things only existed in fantasy tales. Then what exactly was that dream? Had she predicted the future? Or was it just coincidence?

Her phone snapped her out of her trance, once again buzzing from the inside of her pajama's pocket. Carmine was almost afraid to pick it up. Had someone else found out about the news and was rushing to tell her? Or was it that someone she knew had gotten hurt by that rampaging dog? Her hands felt cold and clammy as she shoved her hand into her pocket, pulling out her phone and swiping to unlock it. She stared at the screen, struggling to comprehend the simple words that blared up at her.

LIAM: Hey. League?

She stared at the screen for a while longer before she found herself typing a reply.

ME: Sure. Who's playing?

LIAM: Just me and Zach. Naomi says she can't play.

ME: Ya she's sick. Told her not to play today. I'll be on in a bit. Finishing my lunch.

LIAM: Kk.

Carmine hesitantly turned off the television before turning back to her so-called meal. The sight of the pale noodles in the tap-water broth made her stomach turn, no matter how hungry she had been before. _There's no way that I'm connected to that incident at all,_ she told herself sternly. _It's the craziest thing that I have ever thought of._

Deciding that the ramen would not _s_ atisfy her, she dumped the contents of the plastic container into the garbage. But even as she washed her fork and spoon, the silence in her apartment unnerved her. She never felt anxious within her own living space, especially after spreading her wings and leaving home. Carmine forced herself to calm down, knowing that she was still just worried about the news. Kicking herself mentally, she reassured herself that it was stupid for her to keep fretting about some sort of rabid dog being loose in the neighborhood. She was indoors. There was no way that anything bad could happen to her behind a closed door.

She brushed off her hands and made her way back to her room, booting up her desktop. The black screen that greeted her when she got home blossomed into life within a few moments. But Carmine kicked herself mentally as the computer began to load up the start-up programs: Skype, Discord, and League began to show up upon the screen. She closed Skype and kept open Discord while she logged into League. Her earbuds found their place within her ears as she joined Discord's voice channel.

"—so what exactly do you want to play?" she recognized her Liam's voice almost immediately. She had known Liam almost as long as she did Naomi, having met him when he came into her workplace.

"Dunno," Zachary's voice came next. He never really spoke much, and when he did, he was rather blunt and dry. "I'll probably choose mid or top again."

"But I want to practice my Azir. Haven't played him since he got gutted by nerfs…"

"You that you can play whatever you want, Liam," Carmine finally spoke up. "If you wanna play Azir, then just do it."

Liam made a sound of disdain. "I'm not doing well as him recently."

"Then why not keep practicing?"

"'Cause we want to play ranked."

"Ranked?" Carmine was confused. "There's only a week till the end of the season. What's the point in trying to climb the ladder now of all times?"

"Don't know," she could picture Liam's shoulders shrug. "Zach is the one who wants to play."

"I want to see if I can make it to silver," Zach's voice sounded once again. "I've been in bronze for the whole year, and I'm finally in my promotion games."

Carmine chewed on the inside of her mouth. She really just wanted to have fun playing the damn game for once. "Alright…" she agreed reluctantly.

"Okay, then," Liam spoke. "I'll just play support. It's easy enough to do at this level."

"I'll go top. I'm better at tank Ekko rather than full AP Ekko."

"I'll go jungle, then," Carmine added. "I promise that I'll carry this game for you, Zach."

The older man simply snorted in reply. Within moments, the trio were in a lobby as they waited to get placed with two others in order to play. Carmine hoped she would get her role—she inserted jungle and mid as her options, and it always worked when it came to securing a spot in jungle.

As they waited, Liam's voice spoke up again. "I thought you had work today, Carmine, but I texted you to play just in case," he told her.

"Nah. Isabella took over my shift today," she replied as she watched the screen. "I've worked this whole month. I haven't been able to take a day off, so she told me to take a little vacation until next week."

"Oh? Then are you going to the party?" he questioned.

"What party?"

"There's a party happening at the city diner tomorrow at noon," Liam explained to her. "Sully is hosting it. He sent fliers all over the place."

Sully was a name that most of her friends knew. He appeared to be a man in his mid-thirties and spent much of his free time at Darkwell City Diner. Even though he stayed mostly to himself as he indulged in newspapers, he always seemed to know many things about everyone. It wasn't surprising, at least, to her; he did spend hours in a very public place, and even had a good ear for picking up information. Even though he was quite the strange individual, he still did things for the city—which included holding parties and even celebrations to keep Darkwell's moral intact. "What's the celebration for this time?" Carmine raised a brow as their queue ended, sending them into champion select. She couldn't help but smile as they were placed on the blue side, which meant that their time would be slightly easier than if they were placed on the red side. Not only that, she had even gotten placed in her desired role, jungle.

"Darkwell's hundredth anniversary is soon, apparently," Liam sighed, sounding deep in thought. "Hey, Zach, you got top. Great."

"I'm ready for you to carry me as support," Zach's voice was somewhat humorous as he proclaimed his own trademark champion. "Give me Ekko, and I can carry the game myself."

Liam scoffed. "I really would have liked to play mid lane. Hopefully this guy knows how to play his god damn role."

Carmine rolled her eyes. She knew how Liam felt. If she didn't get her role, usually the one who did played like shit. "Just focus on playing," she said. "You can pull out that Thresh of yours."

Liam muttered in reply, falling silent as the ban phase rolled around. She never really liked the ban phase. It lasted about a few minutes, and the first two people who were allowed to pick their champions had no chance to pick a champion to ban from the game. The last three players on each side, however, had an option to pick one champion each to ban from the game that they were about to play. Unfortunately, Carmine found that she was second pick, and would not have the likelihood to ban a champion that she didn't want to play against.

It felt like an eternity before she was finally close to be able to choose her champion. But the teammate before her waited until the last second to pick his own champion to play. "First pick Zed?" Carmine said in surprise. As an assassin that relied mostly on signaling out an individual enemy, picking Ze didn't seem much like a good idea to her.

"It's bronze," Zach replied as he watched the first two enemy players picked their champions next. "Pretty much anything can work if you have enough determination."

She couldn't really argue with that kind of statement. Since they were ranked so low and played extremely poorly, one could literally play anything and win if you did well enough. Carmine didn't say anything else as she picked Nidalee, locking it before the timer ran out.

Champion select took a little while, but soon enough they were in the loading screen. "Hey, did you guys hear about that dog that attacked the poor guy in the alley?" Liam spoke up once again.

"Yeah," Carmine really didn't want to hear anything else about the damn dog. She had just gotten herself to relax.

Zach made a humming sound, as if he had just heard Liam's question. "Dog?"

"Dog, yeah," Liam repeated. "Some mongrel mauled a poor guy in the alley. It even killed him."

"Weird," Zach simply said.

"Just focus on the game. Don't you guys see that we've loaded in already?" she wanted nothing else than for them to shut up about the news. It was probably just going to blow over by the next week. Seriously, why couldn't they just shut up about the damn dog?

The first few minutes of the game passed by rather normally. Liam protected his ADC using his Thresh mechanics—he kept the enemy ADC and support away while his partner farmed the minions for gold. Zach spent the time farming and trying to harass the enemy Nasus out of lane before he could get much gold; if he kept it up, then the enemy top laner would have a very difficult time catching up to the rest of his team. He'd basically be useless if Zach continued to bully him like he was.

Carmine noticed that their mid laner played rather well for someone who instantly picked an assassin—especially since he was even going up against someone who attacked him every time he went up to farm gold. It was interesting to see that he still didn't die to an enemy Lux, who could easily stun and burst him down with her spells before he could even use summoner spells in order to flash away. Maybe they did have a chance at winning, after all. But she couldn't speak so soon—anything could happen throughout the course of the whole game, no matter how ahead they were.

That was where she came in. As someone who played Nidalee, she had to make sure to get other lanes got ahead while she kept the enemy behind. And so, when she had slain enough jungle monsters and gotten enough gold from them, she decided that it was finally time to gank lanes and make an impact on the game.

Ganking was something she was good at, or so she believed. The role of a jungler basically revolved around the act of ambushing opponents as they traversed the jungle, invaded, or pushed up their lane too much. Avoiding detection and helping her teammates was her cause.

"You guys are doing great," Carmine said into her computer screen as Liam landed a hook from a brush he hid in. With the enemy ADC stunned and disabled, she took advantage and landed a spear from her own hiding place over a nearby wall. It chunked the Ezreal's health, and which allowed their Caitlyn to use her ultimate ability to finish him off.

"Their Blitzcrank has been doing nothing but sitting back and allowing us to fuck Ezreal up the ass," Liam sounded content. "It's not that hard to play support, especially if you're playing one who's so easy to learn."

Carmine grinned. They were lucky that the enemy bot lane weren't so hot about each other. That, and the Nasus was getting destroyed by Zach as well. The enemy jungler, an Elise, didn't even show her face yet. Elise was a jungler that was similar to Nidalee—she had to make a difference early, and if she didn't, well… she was as good as useless.

Her attention turned to mid lane. The Zed had gotten a kill on his lane opponent, and was already playing extremely aggressive. _Maybe I should add more pressure to mid,_ Carmine thought as she made her way back up the jungle's river. It was good that the Zed had seen that she was coming his way, and so he adjusted his playstyle; he allowed the minions, filled with gold, to push more towards him, while Lux had to overextend before she could even get some gold for her items.

Carmine hid in a brush for a while, waiting until the minions did not block the way of a properly aimed spear. But as soon as that moment came and Lux's health was slashed down to about half with one max range spear, Zed did not follow up. _What is this Zed doing?_ she thought as she pressed the button to shift into her cougar form and leapt into the lane. _This is a free kill!_

Before she could even touch the Lux even further, the mage tossed out her snare and rooted her into place. And before she could even leap away from any other damage dealing abilities, she was dead. Carmine was left staring at a gray screen and her crumpled corpse.

FEERSOHM (Zed): wow you suck

She couldn't believe that the mid laner had even typed that to her. Carmine had broken her back in trying to help her teammates, and with one mistake, he started to flame her. Her fingers quickly typed a message back as she fumed.

SurvivingOutcast (Nidalee): wtf? that was a free kill, not my fault you didnt go in for it

FEERSOHM (Zed): stfu you cost me lane now im not even going to be able to fight her anymore

SurvivingOutcast (Nidalee): lol well ok then

SurvivingOutcast (Nidalee): not going to gank mid anymore since you're apparently fucked cause of me

"It's alright," Zach's voice sounded after a long while of remaining silent. "So what if Zed can't handle Lux? The rest of the lanes are winning. We'll be fine."

Carmine ground her teeth. While Zachary was right, she couldn't help but feel upset at what the asshole said. "Fine," she sighed, her grip on the mouse becoming tighter as she finally respawned in base.

After the incident with the Zed, the game spiraled downhill. The Lux had killed their mid laner another three times, and her pressure on other lanes was overwhelming. Carmine couldn't keep up with her, as she had slaughtered her teammates before she could even do any damage on her. Nasus and Elise kept her safe while she and Ezreal dealt damage in the backline. Before they knew it, the enemy was already chopping away at the nexus. It was game over.

"Wow," Liam breathed out while Carmine stared at the screen. The word "DEFEAT" mocked her with its all its glory as it hovered over the destroyed nexus. "What even happened?"

"We lost the game. That's what happened," Zach's tone was sour.

"Oh well, throws happen, I guess. It's a shame. There's always another game, though. Carmine, you planning on playing more?"

She found herself shaking her head to herself. Carmine didn't think that she should play another, especially since she was still extremely heated up over that game. "No," she glanced at the time. It was about four o clock—had the game really lasted about an hour? "I think I'm going to hit the hay early."

"At four?" Liam sounded incredulous.

"Yeah, I really don't feel well."

"Looks like Naomi's pretty contagious. I'll have to remember to keep away from her during our classes."

"Do that," Carmine sighed as she logged off from League. "Bye, Zach, Liam. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Her two friends bid farewell before she finally closed out from Discord. Her arms ached as she pulled off her earbuds, and she was surprised at the pain. She even felt dizzier than she was before… "I really shouldn't have played," she cursed herself, feeling the dizziness beginning to set in as she got up from her seat. Carmine glowered at the computer screen before turning back towards the window. Surprisingly, not as much light filtered through the window; clouds began to blot the sky and shield her from the blinding rays.

She sighed, trying her best to pull back the sheets from her bed. The covers were still clean from the night prior. Good, Carmine thought as she fell onto the creaky mattress. She straightened out her aching body, bringing up her arm to cover her eyes. Maybe, if she slept in for the day, she would feel better tomorrow. She prayed it was so, closing her eyes and allowing her breath to become even. Sleep came quickly as it spirited her away into her dreams once again.

The night was cruel to her. Her dreams were faint, vague, and fleeting, and she could not rest without waking from her sleep every hour or so. She felt her body become coated in sweat and her face felt like it was burning with fever. Carmine struggled with the discomfort, trying to sleep through the febrile heat, but every hour or so she would wake. Pain ravaged her body as she moved in her bed, the sheets beginning to get coated in her sweat.

Her fit continued for a while; there was some points where she wondered if she should call the hospital. But her head roared every time she moved, and she could hardly see in the darkness of her room. She couldn't even form proper thoughts, as even thinking about one simple thing would make her head ache even more.

She didn't know what time it was when she was finally able to lift her head from her pillow. Her body felt as heavy as lead, and she could hardly lift her torso from the bed. At least she could actually see within the room, now—and rather well, at that. Carmine groaned as she dragged herself from the mattress, wincing as she dragged herself across the floor. She couldn't even get up from the floor, but she had to go and get help. There had to be _someone_ that could help her.

As she staggered to the kitchen, she heard a low, animalistic sound near her ear. She couldn't even register what it was—that was, before she turned her head to see something staring straight back at her. Stripes was pressed against one of the pieces of kitchen furniture, his back arched and fur standing on end. Even his tail was sticking straight upwards, his eyes wild with fright as he stared straight at her. _Stripes,_ Carmine tried to speak, but she could not even form words through the pain. _What's wrong with you?_

She took a step closer to him, but the tom cat only screeched in terror and flung himself at her. Carmine recoiled in surprise, but Stripes only bounded past her and rushed into the living room. _What the fuck,_ she found herself panting as she struggled to get to her cellphone, which was still on its place on the kitchen counter. When she looked up from the floor, she saw the edge of it sticking straight out over the edge of the table. The woman knew that there was no way that she could get the phone by sticking on the ground, and so, she leaned upwards to cling onto the ridges of the cabinet. But once she caught sight of her supposed arms, she froze in place.

Dark fur covered her forearms, only becoming lighter as the thick hair traveled up her biceps. Long claws protruded from her fingers, which had become nothing but paws. Even clinging to the cheap wooden furniture caused deep gouges within it. What the fuck.

Her heartbeat began to beat rapidly within her ribcage. What had happened to her? She was obviously not human. There was no way she was, especially with how she looked. Then… what exactly was she?

Carmine didn't know what to do; she couldn't use her phone in this state. She wondered if staying in bed would help her recuperate from this "disease" that she had. Was it lycanthropy? Did turning into werewolves exist all this time, and it was simply fed to them as a myth? Confusion ravaged her starved mind, but all she knew was that she had to get help… from somewhere, at least. And she knew that she wouldn't get help just by staying in her home.

The bestial woman crawled to the door with effort. But as soon as she got to the exit to her apartment, the doorknob twinkled down at her teasingly. Carmine cursed to herself, feeling her brows furrow in frustration. _There's no way I can get the hell out of here without thumbs,_ she told herself. Panic was beginning to set in again, but she knew that if she lost focus, there was no way she could make all of… _this_ work. Her eyes, now fully adjusted to the dark, searched for another way to leave the apartment. She glanced upwards, looking at the window that decorated the kitchen's walls. It had been open at one point, and now, the chilly wind filtered into the kitchen. The opening that had been created would definitely be large enough for her to slip through. Hope fluttered in her heart. Maybe she would finally be able to find someone that could actually help her.

With great effort, she leaped onto the countertop. Her claws scraped against the hard material below her feet, making a terrible sound as she walked towards the window. It was just in front of her nose; while there was space that she could crawl through, she realized that she would have to make a tight squeeze. Worry once again invaded her mind—what if she got stuck? It would just make a bad situation even worse.

 _I have to calm down,_ Carmine thought as she stuck her head through the open window. The fit around her neck was tight, but she found it easy to slip her torso through. She was surprised to see that she was actually able to make it through. Even the second-story fall onto the ground was easily supported by her four legs, which absorbed most of the shock from the collision with the ground. It was impressive to see her strength and dexterity, even in such a state.

Without a second thought, she pelted down the street. She didn't even know where she would go—there weren't even any people in sight. Maybe it was because of that dog attack… or should she say, _her_ attack. _Oh god, I really did do that, didn't I?_ Carmine was distraught. _That dream really was real, wasn't it..?_

She had killed an innocent being while she was in this…. monstrous state. Why the hell did she think that going out was a better idea rather than staying inside? What if that strange, wild voice started to speak to her again? _Calm down, Carmine… just… calm down,_ she tried her best to calm herself as she turned a corner and strided in front of things on display behind shiny windows. Carmine eyed her reflection, noticing that she really was some sort of beast, but a familiar one at that. She was covered in the light brown fur with sharp, elongated front fangs. Her tail was long and tufted, and her eyes shone a bright green. She almost immediately recognized what exactly she was; she was nobody else but her very favorite champion, Nidalee, in her cougar form. There was no way that this was real—how could she become a _video game character_? No, she didn't become Nidalee, she was pretty sure that she still felt like herself. It was probably most likely that she had Nidalee's powers, other than turning completely into her. Still, she was still freaking the fuck out. Was she going to be in this cougar form forever?

Footsteps sounded to her right, making Carmine turn her head towards the arrival. A tall man with dark blond hair and bags of food turned the corner down the street and began to walk toward her. She almost got up to flee before she could be spotted by the man, but as he got closer, she realized that it was someone she knew. _Liam! Maybe he can help me!_

Carmine found herself overwhelmed with joy as she bounded towards him. But the young man certainly didn't appreciate having a large, unidentifiable creature run in his direction, falling over as he yelped in shock. Though, she didn't care if he was afraid of her—she had finally found someone who could actually help her. She stopped at his feet, staring down at him as she panted lightly. His eyes, giant orbs of terror, stared up at her as she showed him a toothy grin. _Please tell me he knows me,_ she grinned further, her eyes straining lightly as she put more of her teeth on display. _For the love of God, get me out of this damned mess, you brainless idiot! You have to know who I am!_

But Liam stared back at her, seemingly at a loss for words. The more she stared at him, the more tension that crackled between the two friends. She wasn't sure if standing so close to him helped the cause, or simply terrified the shit out of him. Scuttling her paws backwards, she took a few steps away and sat before him, allowing her head to hang low. Finally, the man propped himself up on her elbows, his green eyes continuing to stare at her own. "Uhm," he began, hesitation clear in his voice. "… Carmine..? Is that really you?"

So he wasn't a brainless idiot, after all. She once again leapt up to her paws, nodding her head as she tried to make the closest noise to sounding pleased as she could. Liam scratched his head, blinking wearily at her. "This is pretty interesting," he remarked. "So you have powers, too…"

 _What does he mean by that?_ Carmine thought, tipping her head. The way that he spoke confused her somewhat. Were there really others like her?

"You must be frightened," Liam sat up, reaching forward and running a hand over her muzzle. She didn't have the energy to pull away from the strange gesture. "And wondering why exactly you got these powers. Trust me, I felt the same way."

Carmine blinked, her lips curling downwards as he continued. Did Liam have powers as well? If she had Nidalee's powers, then he must bear Azir's powers, as well. Or maybe he had another champion's? Either way, it was hard to think that someway, somehow, there were players that got powers through a stupid video game. And, as cool as that may sound, she had a bad feeling about all of what was happening.

The blond laughed dryly, eyeing the carton of food that fallen onto the ground. Luckily, none of its contents had spilled onto the floor, but some of it had begun to peek out of the side. He promptly picked it up and placed it back in its bag. "If it's okay with you," Liam turned towards her again. "You can stay at my place for the night, and then we can talk in the morning. Pretty sure that you'll actually be able to talk by then," he suggested, getting up to his feet as Carmine watched him quietly. "Just nod your head if you think it's a good idea."

She knew that she could trust Liam, and if he really thought he knew what was going on, then she supposed that she go along with what he said. Carmine nodded her head, and Liam smiled in response. "Good," he said, turning away from her and walking further down the street. She followed him, making sure to keep low to avoid detection. "I promise I'll try to keep you sane enough during the morning."


	3. Chapter Two

**AN:** Hi guys! I hope you enjoy the story. If you like it, please, _please_ leave reviews, especially if you follow or fave it! I already have it written out and currently am editing it, but editing takes a little time and I'm in college. I'll upload one or two chapters a week, three if I don't have much work to do. I'll see you guys later! :)

* * *

"You have to try _harder_ , Carmine."

Liam's voice made her face turn red, and she found herself glowering at him as she sat down across from him. He watched her from across his living room, his green eyes shining with intent as he watched the hand that she had raised in the air. "I am trying," she avoided his stare, instead planting her eyes on the crimson red walls.

The blond heaved a large sigh as he rested his elbows on his knees, slumping forward with a frown on his features. "You have Nidalee's powers, and you can't even make a spear," Liam said, exasperated as his light brows furrowed in frustration.

 _"I said I'm trying,"_ she hissed, her glare sharp and angry as she sent it towards him again.

"Not hard enough," he didn't falter as he met her look with his own. "Do you want to do this or not?"

Carmine felt like launching a string of curses at the male, but instead, she turned back to her raised arm. It was starting to hurt after keeping it in the air for so long. But she knew that she had to muster enough energy to create a spear. They had been at it since the early hours of the morning, and it was already almost midday. There was no way that she could quit now, not after how hard she had been working at it. Time passed as she focused intently, trying to imagine the shaft of the spear pressed against her palm. For a few moments, she thought that nothing was going to happen, that Liam was once again going to shake his head and snigger, but she began to feel some sort of energy surging up her forearm and running up to her hand.

Liam perked up as a strange light began to form in her palm. "Ah," he smiled wildly, obviously delighted with the sight of the javelin forming in Carmine's hand. "There it is!"

The weapon was strong, but it was also heavier that she imagined. It tipped forward as it landed on her palm, the metal tip effortlessly piercing Liam's wooden floors. Carmine simply stared at it, her eyes wide as her friend ran his hand over his face at the damage to his apartment. "Woah," she said in awe. Even though it had cost a significant amount of energy, she had to admit—she was rather impressed with her new abilities.

"Yeah, yeah," Liam's face was annoyed. "I told you can do it. Now, can you tell me who's going to fix my god damn floors?"

"Hey, you said that you know about this sort of stuff. You still didn't tell me _how_ you know."

He set his jaw. "Listen, have you ever seen that anime where those people get stuck in that weird fantasy video game? Well, think of it like that—but the video game is stuck in our world, instead."

Carmine blinked in surprise as she tested out the weight of the spear in her hand. "So League is stuck in our world?"

"Yeah," Liam stated. "Trust me, you're not the only one with powers like that."

"But _how_ do you know? How exactly did you find all of this out?" Carmine insisted.

"Well…" Liam suddenly avoided her look as he shifted his gaze to the coffee table in between them, his finger coming up to scratch at his chin. "Uh… how do I say this?"

Carmine frowned, tipping her head as she expected what he was going to say. "Don't tell me you have powers, too," she vocalized.

"You answered your own question," Liam's frown suddenly broke into a nervous smile as Carmine leaned forward in her seat, a dangerous look in her eye. "N-now, now, I thought I was insane. How do you think I felt when I wake up to… two weird, bird-headed sand soldiers hovering over me in my bed when I'm not even fully dressed?"

"How long ago was this?"

"… About a week or so, I suppose," Liam scratched the back of his head.

Carmine once again looked at the javelin in her hand, biting the inside of her cheek as she thought. If Liam had powers, and she had powers—then there definitely had to be more people like them that are out and about. She wondered if they were safe for now, or if it was a death sentence to even walk out into the streets. "Is there anyone else other than us?"

"I don't know. I don't even know what's going on."

"Do you think it's safe to go outside?"

"I've been going outside since I got the power to summon soldiers from the goddamned sand. No one has even had an idea that I'm… not normal. You're the first one who I encountered that's in the same situation."

She couldn't help but snicker at Liam's tone. The poor guy was probably desperate to find a solution to this whole issue, but there was no solution in sight—at least, not to her. "We should start heading to the diner," Carmine suggested as she set the spear against the wall. "Maybe we can calm down at the party there."

Liam sighed, obviously struggling with his frayed nerves. "Yeah," he lifted himself off of the side of the couch, his eyes staring down at her as he spoke. "Apparently Sully and this chick are raffling off this amazing super computer at the end of the party."

"Super computer?"

"Uh-huh. It's a gaming computer, apparently. At least, that's what Zachary told me."

Carmine cocked her head, puzzled. Why would Sully suddenly give away something that was worth thousands of dollars? Usually, he raffled off a few minor things, like new books signed by authors or some fancy headphones. "That's weird. Why a gaming computer, of all things?"

Liam set his jaw once more as he pulled on a black jacket. "Are you complaining?" he asked her bluntly. When she shook her head, he turned his back towards her as he made his way to the floor. "Then we should probably get going, then. All the tasty punch Sully makes during these things has to be gone by now…"

* * *

Liam's footsteps were swifter than hers; Carmine could hardly keep up with the taller man as he led her towards the diner. He was quiet as he basically sprint-walked, his hands shoved within his pockets as his breath billowed in the chilly weather. Her eyes drifted towards the sky as she followed, noticing that the sun was blotted out by thick, dark gray clouds. It surprised her to see the difference in temperature and weather from the day before— she truly believed that they had a few more days of warm weather before the wintery weather set in. It wasn't even Halloween, yet.

Soon enough, the sight of the diner graced their vision. Liam wasted no time in trotting down the street and up the few steps that led to the door. "Come on," his voice sounded irate as he watched her from several feet away, his eyes rushing her.

"Calm down," Carmine told him as she approached. "The punch isn't going anywhere."

"Zach's already got a seat for us," he told her, opening the door for her as she walked up the stairs. She nodded in thanks as she entered, and she felt Liam walk in behind her as he closed the door. Her eyes scanned the diner's main room, seeing only a few people sitting down in at the tables.

 _Strange…_ she told herself. _Usually there's a lot more people at Sully's parties._ Carmine turned around to voice her concerns to Liam, but the man simply shoved against her as he ushered her towards the familiar, black-haired man sitting at a booth. A brunette woman sat across from him, and she recognized her as Naomi. Her mouth opened, about to question her presence, but she was caught off guard by Liam shoving her from behind. "Hey!" she snarled back at him as he continued to push her. "Keep your hands off of me!"

"Hurry up!" Liam snapped back under his breath. "You're drawing attention to yourself."

The blonde man quite literally placed her on the seat across from Zach, making her puff out her cheeks in anger. She hated when she was treated like a child, but Liam seemed to adore doing such a thing to her. It frustrated her to no end. "You're late," Zach said, turning towards Liam as he eyed him. "Sully's already gone to get the punch."

Naomi nodded, her eyes wide. Her face looked pale, but her eyes were bright and lively. Carmine wondered if she still felt ill, or she decided to leave her house on her lonesome. Either way, she couldn't help but become a little frustrated with her friend. She would chide her when they left—it was best not to cause a scene in front of the others.

Liam snickered as Carmine rolled her eyes. "Then are we actually truly late?" he questioned his friend.

"He dragged me all the way from his place over here," Carmine whined to Zach, who looked at her with curiosity.

"Why were you at his place?"

Naomi's voice was somewhat breathy as she spoke next. _"Oooooh,"_ she sang out, drawing forth a blush from Carmine. "Sounds pretty fun. What kinda games did you play, _hm~?"_

The black-haired woman felt her patience wear thin. Maybe it was because of the blood that was rushing to her face, and Zach and Naomi stared with intent. "We didn't play any games, you stupid—"

"Heh, when's that Sully gonna come with the punch?" the tall young man laughed nervously as he glanced over his shoulder. However, the other male didn't seem to appreciate having his question avoided. His eyes darted swiftly between the two, his arm coming up to rest upon the table.

"What did you guys do?" came Zach's voice once more.

Carmine shook her head. _"Nothing,"_ she answered quickly, her face as straight as she could make it. "I got locked out of my apartment in the middle of the night. So, Liam let me stay at his place."

Zach watched Liam as she spoke, his gray eyes cold. "Ah," he stated simply. "I hope you didn't take… _advantage_ of her situation."

"No!" Liam replied quickly. "I slept on the couch while she slept on the bed."

The woman couldn't help but laugh at Liam's antics. Even though the blond tried to act like an uptight, serious man most of the time, he became easily flustered. He reminded her of herself. Perhaps that was why they were friends? "I'm thirsty," Carmine stated, tapping her fingers on the edge of the table as she glanced around. "But, isn't it strange that there's so few people around here?"

"What do you mean?" Liam asked her.

Carmine couldn't help but scowl at him. "Look around, why don't you?" she told him. "There's only about four or five people here, probably including us. Don't you think that's really weird?"

Naomi's eyes peered around. "Yeah…" she sighed. "It's kinda off, isn't it?"

However, before the rest of her companions could reply, she heard a door swing open. She turned around to see another male; he was broad-shouldered and thick armed, and appeared to have an annoyed expression on his face as he emerged from the kitchen. In his hands was a bowl filled to the brim with purple liquid. "Hey, Sully looks pretty miffed today," Liam commented.

It was true that the male looked upset—but then again, he always did. Carmine didn't remember the last time he tossed a smile at her. It would be much more frightening if he did smile at her. That would be when she knew that something was wrong, overall. "He has the punch at least. No need to complain about his attitude if there's no change in it," Zach spoke up next, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he watched the man fill glasses with the juice.

Her upbeat partner-in-crime claimed the first glass, sipping at the punch eagerly as she smiled. "I was so thirsty! Thanks, Sully!" Naomi chimed as she turned towards the older man. However, he didn't seem to hear, simply going about his task as he poured another cup.

The sight of the colorful liquid made Carmine start to salivate. She didn't know when was the last time she had a drink—she has spent the whole morning at Liam's house trying to summon some spear. He didn't even let her rest for a moment. The sight of the blessed fruit punch literally made her mouth water, and when it was finally placed before her, she didn't hesitate to take a sip. "Ah," she breathed out, savoring the sweet taste as Sully passed out two other glasses to Liam and Zach. "Thanks, Sully. It tastes as great as ever."

Usually the man would curl the corner of his lip upward in response, but once again he turned away and began to serve the rest of the few people that had gathered. She wondered what exactly was bothering the guy, but perhaps it wouldn't have been wise to question him. Sully never really liked questions, she realized—especially when they were about something he didn't want to talk about. Carmine shrugged to herself, taking another sip out of the drink as she eyed Liam, who furrowed his brow at the violet punch. "Huh," he murmured aloud.

"What?" she asked him before gulping down the rest of the drink.

"It tastes… I don't know… sweeter than the other times he's given us punch. Did he add extra sugar or something?"

Carmine took on a blank expression. "How am I supposed to know?" she answered as she yawned widely.

Zach's mouth opened next, but no words escaped him as he sipped at his drink. His eyes appeared watery as he, too, yawned. "Yawning's pretty contagious," he stated simply.

The girl that sat next to her slowly bobbed her head in response. "It is," Naomi's lips parted to let out a sound of drowsiness.

She didn't know why, but she suddenly felt extremely tired. Perhaps it was the yawning or the quietness of the dining space, but her head felt as heavy as a watermelon and her vision became foggy. "Hey…" Carmine murmured aloud as her eyes rested on the drink. Even though the cup was basically right before her eyes, she felt as if it was far way, just out of her reach. "Does anyone else… feel weird?"

When she looked back up at Zach and Liam, however, she realized that they were not with her. The younger of the males' forehead rested heavily against the table while the other one leant against the windowsill. Both breathed evenly as they appeared to be as heavily sleepy as she was. Naomi had dozed off as well, her head basically in her arms as she snored. She struggled to form words, but she couldn't even form legible words. Her head felt like a bowling ball; there was no way that she could keep it up atop her neck. Before she knew it, her chin was resting upon the table, and her eyes felt heavier than ever.

Darkness took over her sight, sleep enveloping her as she was sent to her dreams.


	4. Chapter Three

**AN:** Hi guys, Ambra is here and back on time with her weekly submissions! Please, I just want to remind you, if you like the story, PLEASE leave a review! It shows me that people are actually interested! :)

* * *

Carmine did not know where she was. Her sleep was heavy, she knew that, at least—that, and she had not gone to sleep willingly. She felt softness cover her body like powdered snow, and when she shifted in her groggy state, she heard the creak of a bed. There was no time to be confused; she could hardly move, and fear and worry was beginning to wiggle its way into her mindset. What exactly had happened? She dully remembered being in the Darkwell City Café with Liam and Zach, and Sully had given out the punch. But that was it. Whenever she tried to think after taking a deep drink from that decadent punch, it was just… blackness. Now, she was awake, without an inkling of where she was or what she was doing there.

She shifted again, more roughly this time. The creak of the bed made her head roar in complaint. Carmine knew that she had to see where she was, and what exactly had happened. Her eyes opened slightly, thankfully realizing that the room that she was in was not filled with bright lights. Instead, a dusty old lamp decorated the night table next to her, its dying amber light flickering as it illuminated the room in a pale shade of tangerine.

As she leaned up on her forearms, she brushed up against… well, something. It was warm, warmer than a bundle of sheets that she could have thrown to the side while she slept. Her eyesight was still fairly foggy, but she could make out a distinct shape laying next to her. The person, a male, was facing away from her; his black hair was wild and shaggy, presumably from the events of the few hours prior. But his shoulders were relaxed, which meant that he was still asleep. Carmine grabbed hold of the body, flipping him over with as much strength as she could muster. It didn't take much for her to roll the guy onto his back, but she felt her muscles scream as she did so. She had to lean heavily against the body as she caught her breath, but her eyes almost immediately focused on his face. Her heart stopped as she realized—she had no idea who the man was.

 _Holy shit_ , Carmine forced herself to sit up, running a hand through her black hair as she felt her brown eyes slowly adjusted to the environment. Her head still felt as if it had been thrown under a truck, but her mind was still racing like never before. Where was Zach? Liam? Was Naomi involved in this? She played League too, so something had to have happened to her. Once again, panic found its place deep within her chest, making her hands tremble in response. _We've all been fucking kidnapped._

"H-hey," she turned back towards the dark-haired man, shaking him roughly in an attempt to wake him up. But he was still dead asleep; there was not even the slightest sign that he was disturbed by her voice or actions. Carmine swallowed as she leaned forward, pressing her ear against his chest. Even though he looked like he was dead, the steady drum of his heart beat against his chest. He was still warm, which meant that he was not in shock, or whatever it was called. She furrowed her brow, her teeth gnashing together as she thought to herself. Even the room had nothing interesting in particular, or something that stood out—the only things that she noted was that the sheets smelled like someone used a lot of bleach to clean them, and were thus eerily white. There was no window, and the door was crafted out of metal. She knew that there was no point in trying to open it.

Just as she turned back to the strange man, the door that she had simply glanced over slid open. Two individuals, a man and a woman, stepped inside, but their unfamiliar and cold faces stood out incredibly so. The heavy metal door slammed shut after them, locking the four of them within the tiny room. Carmine steeled her nerves, abruptly rising from the bed as she clenched her fists in response. Anger fluttered in her stomach, and it climbed up to her chest as if her emotions were an overflowing pot of hot water. For a few moments, the dizziness and fatigue that she suffered from vanished. "Where am I?" she snapped at them. "Who are you?"

"All will be explained soon. For now," the male spoke first as he glanced down at a clipboard. The woman beside him kept a close eye on her, her hand dug into her pocket. Carmine didn't want to know what was within it. "Your name is Carmine Reid? Originally from New York?"

"Who's asking?" she said.

The man glanced up at her, an annoyed glint in his eye. "There's no need for you to react in such a way. You will come across no harm here," he explained.

"There's no way that you can tell me that. I don't even know where I am or why I'm even here!" Carmine found herself hissing at him as her temper only continued to overflow. She felt a surge of energy in her, something that she had never felt before. "Tell me where I am!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

"And why is that—?!"

"It is all strictly confidential," the man, strangely, remained cool in the situation. He appeared to be used to such a situation. "Either way, that's not why I am here. I was sent to make sure both of you were properly fed and clothed before we led you to the conference room."

 _Conference room?_ she furrowed her brow.

For a moment, she was sure that the man's lips twisted upwards in a slight smirk. "No need for any other questions. Like I said, you'll be able to ask all you want in about an hour or so. For now, we have come to tell you that there are food carts being rolled around the halls. One will come to you in a few minutes, and you will be given food. After you eat, we strongly suggest that you get into the clothing that has been supplied to you. You will find them in the closet," he pointed his pen in the direction of the small, wooden compartment. It wasn't long before his eyes finally rested on the man on the bed. "Ah, Garrett Fischerman. We thought you'd never wake up."

Carmine turned her head to look over her shoulder. The previously unconscious man was now sitting up in bed, his ebony brows furrowed up at the man as the lighting within the room only amplified the dangerous amber glow in his eyes. For a split second, his fierce gaze flickered over to her before resting on the two individuals before him. "What the fuck is going on?"

"Ah, I was just explaining to your friend here," the man stated as he turned away. "You should ask her. I'm sure both of you will get along, in due time."

As quickly as they entered the room, the duo exited with the swipe of a keycard. Carmine remained quiet as the door once again closed behind them and left her alone with the strange young man. Even with her back faced towards him, she felt his heated glare burrow deep into the back of her head, making her suddenly feel warmer within the room. She forced herself to turn towards him, but was not greeted with a pleasant sight. His eyes basically glowered at her, remaining silent as she fidgeted in his stare. "Uhm," she began, suddenly feeling weak. "Hey."

It was all that she could say. Anything else and she was pretty sure that she would vomit whatever she had in her stomach. Even then, the man, Garrett, didn't seem too happy with her presence. His brow only furrowed even further, and his lips contorted into a deep scowl. "They said they explained what the hell was going on, at least, to you. So, cut it with the small talk and get straight to the point."

His voice cut deep into her like a serrated knife would. Carmine was not a woman that was intimidated with a few dry words, but here she was; with no idea where she was or what she was doing here, she might have been locked up with a madman or murderer, and so she thought it was best if she kept her voice low and her personality meek. Fatigue was steadily coming back to ravage her body, and she leaned against the wall as she felt herself become lightheaded. "They didn't really say much," she began to explain, much to the obvious disdain of Garrett. "The man actually didn't tell me anything, really. He said that things will be explained within an hour, and that we have to eat and get dressed in some clothes before they even take us out of the room."

A harsh scoff escaped Garrett's lips. "And they locked me in here with you?" he said, a dark look within his eye as he once again stared at her. "Honestly, I'm not very surprised."

"What do you mean?" Carmine found herself asking, watching him closely as he lifted himself up from the bed. Even though the man's steps were unsteady and weak, he kept himself on his feet as he approached her. But he did not only stop in front of her—instead, he walked behind her. All the time she felt his eyes watching her as if she was some sort of specimen.

Garrett snorted, and she caught him making a grimace from behind her. She spun around to face him, and he blinked at her confrontational action. "I'm not stupid," he stated simply. "You're just like me, but different at the same time."

"What does that mean?" she repeated again. But the man only shook his head, circling her much like a starving lion would with a fat boar.

"You have powers. I have powers," he looked at his fingernails as he spoke before he gave her a sidelong glance. "But they're not the same. I'm pretty sure that we're not the only ones that they've caught, and the others have powers as well."

"They?"

"The government. ISIS. The Illuminati…" Garrett shrugged heavily. "Whoever they are, I think they're interested in us. And you've seen those types of movies. They gather a few individuals, and then they hook them up to machines with IVs and pumps connected to their bodies," he continued on, striding out of her vision before she turned her head to once again get him within her sights. "Then the doctors come with their shiny metal scalpels and start digging into us like a turkey on Thanksgiving. We're only toys for them. And once they discover we can actually be of use, well…" his eyes finally rested on hers. "Who knows?"

Carmine was surprised that Garrett was actually telling her all of this. The way he acted was unusual, and the look within his eyes unnerved her greatly. "Where are you going with this, exactly?" she asked him.

He did not reply immediately. Instead, he stopped in front of her before he took a few steps closer. She could basically feel his breath on her lips as his eyes stared straight into hers. The heat from his breath made her face become red, and she pushed him away. But Garrett wouldn't have it—he grabbed onto her arm firmly, his fingers digging deep into her bicep as he kept her in place. "If they're going to cut us up," he began, leaning even closer as she grinned wildly. "Then who says I shouldn't have my fun?"

Before she knew it, he slammed her against the wall, making her breath spill out of her. Carmine snarled in response, raising her left hand and slamming it against Garrett's face. Her nails sank deep into his cheek, drawing blood as he cried out in shock. The thick liquid dribbled down his jaw, but he did not loosen his grip. Instead, it only became tighter as his free arm became surrounded in some sort of dark, yet ethereal, essence, forming something metallic and elongated. It shimmered in the half-light, reflecting his face as he lifted it close to her own. "Just keep calm," he grinned wildly, the look in his eye now feral as the blade touched the skin of her throat. The red blood decorating his face matched the crimson hue beginning to paint his irises. "I promise that I'll make this as painless as possible—"

Something whizzed through the air, digging straight into Garrett's jugular before his blade could fully penetrate her skin. Carmine's panicked stare went straight to the object sticking out of the major artery. It was a feathered dart, brightly-colored. Whatever its contents were, it made the grip on her arm relax a significant amount before his body once again collapsed against her. She shoved his limp body away from her, watching it fall to the ground with a dull thump. He was unmoving, but not dead; she could see the steady rise and fall of his chest as he slept soundly. "Huh," a voice sounded from the doorway. "Guess he won't be getting a taste of the meal I cooked up for you guys."

Carmine's eyes wavered upwards, staring at the woman standing at the doorway. Her hair was picked up in a messy ponytail, one of her hands set at her hips as she fiddled with a blowgun. Her heart was once again beating erratically, and there was a lump forming within her throat. She felt the skin around her jaw, noting the stickiness that tainted her fingertips. "He…" she breathed out, speechless at what had happened.

"Almost killed you, I know. Trust me, we knew that there'd be some issues with him," the woman spoke up again with humor heavy in her voice. It was almost as if she expected what was going to happen before it actually did. At Carmine's blank stare, the woman tipped her head at her. "You didn't get too roughed up, did ya?"

She shook her head rapidly. Even though Garrett's blade was sharp, it did not deal too much damage. But she knew that, if he had only applied a little more pressure, then he would have easily severed her airflow. "Why?" Carmine asked her, finally finding words to express herself. "Why did he attack me?"

"That's pretty complicated to explain on my lonesome, sweetheart," the woman's grin did not waver as she winked. She pulled a clean rag from her pocket, tossing it to her as she continued. Carmine hardly caught it before she pressed it to her wound. "Listen, I promise ya that if you eat all your food, veggies and all, that Mr. Ravello will take good care of you all! He ain't one for lyin', I promise! He even told me to tell _you_ that!"

Carmine frowned deeply, obviously puzzled over the woman's personality. The researchers, or whatever they were, that had come before showed almost no emotion. But now that this woman stepped into the room was speaking to her as if she was a longtime friend of hers. "What's your name?" she asked her cautiously, wincing as she made sure to keep the blood from flowing freely. Even though the wound was not severe, it still flowed heavily. And damn, did it hurt.

"My name?" the brunette pointed to herself, blinking incredulously. "Why, my name's Elizabeth, or Lissa. But you can call me Liz, cause that's what everyone calls me 'round these parts! You're… uh…."

She eyed her closely, still somewhat cautious about her strange yet upbeat personality. "Carmine," she answered her bluntly.

"Ah, yeah! Carmine!" Liz grinned as she pointed at her. "Sure is a pretty name. Anyways, uh, ya should probably get to eatin' the food that this good ol' fellow brought," she motioned for a trolley cart to come inside. "Don't worry about Mr. Stabby there. He won't wake up for a long while. But the thing is, if ya don't hurry, then Mr. Ravello is gonna come here with his underwear in a knot. And trust me," she laughed. "I'm pretty sure ya'd want Mr. Stabby rather than Mr. Ravello on a bad day."

Well, there was really no going against _that_ , of all things. She didn't even know who this Ravello guy was. The last thing she wanted to do was start off on a bad foot with him, especially if what Garrett said was true. Carmine swallowed as the trolley cart rolled in, bearing food on the three layers it had. None of the plates appetized her, but she wasn't sure when was the next time she was going to eat. Her hand stiffly grabbed one of the plates. The trolley man didn't even speak to her as he rolled out the door, Liz following him as she cheerily waved farewell. "Make sure to eat every bite!" she chimed loudly before the metal door sealed shut. Once again, she was left alone with Garrett. But he was still stretched out on the ground as if he were some lazy fat cat.

Carmine carefully worked her way around the limp man on the floor, taking a seat on the bed as she looked down at the food. She wondered if she'd be able to eat it. The wound on her neck made it somewhat painful to swallow. But hunger clawed at her stomach, and with it came the anxiety once more. She peeled back the plastic covering from the container, the smell of the food reaching her nostrils. It did not look or smell appetizing.

Oh well, her shoulders sagged as she picked up a dry piece of turkey. The taste of it reminded her of soggy sandpaper. But even as she ate, the terrible savor of the poultry did not push away the strong feelings of worry that flooded her abdomen. She prayed that things would not get much worse than this.

* * *

Carmine was able to eat and get dressed just in time. It took only an hour before the heavy metal door once again gaped open. She had expected other strange and cold faces to come to get her, like the ones that had rolled Garrett away on a stretcher. But Liz's friendly face peeked through the edge of the door, urging her out of the room before guiding her down the halls. The corridors were shiny and new, it seemed; she couldn't see any sign of wear as she was led down the long hallways. It was eerily quiet as Liz did not speak to her, instead guiding her through twist and turns. She wanted to break the silence between them, to have some sort of sound other than the one of their footsteps, but she clenched her mouth shut as she rubbed her arms. Something told her it was best to remain quiet.

It felt like years on end before they finally reached what Liz had called the conference room. Another keypad decorated the entrance to it, but the brown-haired woman's fingers drifted across it fluidly as she entered a string of numbers. Carmine watched as the door was opened within mere moments after she had punched in her input. Liz stood behind her as she gently nudged her inside. The glow of computers illuminated the room and with it came the blast of cool air from an AC unit. In the middle of the room was a long table that reminded her of the ones that she would find within a regular office conference room. What surprised her was that there were already people sitting there, and they all looked up at the new arrival. While there were only four individuals, she couldn't help but feel if she had just presented herself before an audience of thousands. _Where's Naomi?_ she forced herself to keep moving. _I don't see her at the table..._

As she stepped around the table to find herself a seat, she watched the wary faces that followed her across the room. There was a red-haired woman with something latched around her wrist, black and bulky in its size. A young man, no older than twenty, stared at her with an expression that resembled her own. But what made her heart skip a beat was when she saw a pair of familiar faces sitting at one end of the table. "Liam?" Carmine rushed up to them as Liz followed her from a distance. "Zach?"

The features of the other two people became more familiar as she approached. Liam's bright eyes snapped towards her as she approached. "Carmine!" he began to get up from his seat to greet her, a look of relief upon his expression.

"I would prefer it if everyone were to remain sitting," rang a voice that made Carmine pause. A tall man that had previously lingered quietly near the computers now stared at her with a cold, calculating gaze. The bright light from the computer screens shone against his back, shrouding most of his features in shadow. "We wouldn't want any accidents to happen, now would we?"

Carmine swallowed as she scratched at the cut on her neck. Her friend simply rested in his chair again, turning his head towards the man as she took a seat next to him. "What exactly is the meaning of this? Why have you taken us from our home?" Liam did not waste any time in tossing questions at the mysterious presence. But to her surprise, he turned away from him and looked at Liz, instead.

"Is everyone here?" he asked.

"Uh," Liz hovered near him as she looked down at her clipboard nervously. "Ah, no… there're two subjects that haven't been able to get here yet. One of them had a little issue in one of the rooms and tried to hurt his roommate. Another, uhm," she faltered. "Well, there's a little situation with her. Apparently, she's kinda stuck in her weird fish form."

 _Fish? Could they mean Naomi?_ Carmine shared a glance with Liam before looking over at Zach. His features were blank as he kept an eye on the two, his jaw clenching and unclenching as his shoulders remained stiff. The tension within the room ran thick as condensed milk, and it was only becoming more tense with each passing moment. She hoped that the "situation" would be explained to them soon. If it wasn't, then she was pretty sure that something bad would happen. If all of the captives within the room had powers, then she was pretty sure that someone could be seriously hurt.

The male sighed, stepping closer to the table as he approached the five people awaiting his answer. When he finally became near enough for Carmine to get a good look at his face, however, she wasn't sure how exactly she should feel about who exactly the man was. She definitely knew him, and she was sure that the others did as well. But the look upon his face was unlike anything she had ever seen before. The strange mixture of familiarity and unfamiliarity that hovered off the man left her confused and unsure as ever. "Sully?" Zach finally spoke, his deep voice ringing throughout the room.

"It's Sullivan Ravello," Sully corrected sternly. The tone of voice he used was very much like how a father would scold a son. "But you might know me as Sully, yes."

"Why have you kidnapped us? What did we ever do to you?" Liam's voice rang out as he prodded for the answer to his questions.

Sully's head tipped to the side as his sharp eyes flicked over to the blond. "I'm afraid there's no short answer to this. If you really want to know the truth, then I will have to ask you to be patient."

His question was seemingly answered with the silence that hovered over the room. The hum of the processors within the computers rang out across the room, adding somewhat of an ethereal air to the environment. Carmine watched with apprehension as his mouth opened once again, this time speaking louder as to allow his voice to carry across the chamber.

"Ten years ago, the government took a great interest in ways to amplify the strength of our soldiers. This might not seem strange to you, since America has always sought for a solution to end wars quickly and efficiently. The country searched for men and women that would work for them and seek out a way to reach such a status. I was approached when I was just twenty-five years old, and I eagerly accepted their offer. I was unemployed and only slightly educated, but they believed I had a bright mind that always seemed to be working.

"Years passed. We never found a way to make our soldiers stronger. Well, until we met Alexander. When I first met him, I couldn't believe how the government had become interested him. He was nothing but a boy full of life and ambition—but, he had a theory that stood out to us, with the research to prove it."

"He was always obsessed with video games. In your eyes, he could be considered a nerd, or geek. But to us, he was more. He proposed that we should abandon our ways of giving our fighters drugs that enhanced their stamina, their hormones, their adrenaline. He stated that, if we gave them something else, that it would be better. When he approached me with the idea of giving our soldiers superpowers from video games, I thought he was insane. I told him it wouldn't work, that there was no way that he could make something inanimate become animate and deadly. But Alexander wouldn't have that. He showed us proof of his work. There was no way to deny his claims anymore. We figured out that he was not just some boy, but a prodigy. He was deemed a genius.

"That was when SOLAIRE came into existence. Our purpose was to cast light upon Alexander's idea, and we did. Results were impressive. Test subjects could run at significant speeds. They could hover in the air. They could jump higher and for longer distances. We used examples from Super Mario Brothers, from Zelda, from Sonic. Things were going extremely well.

"A year passed before Alexander became interested in a new game called League of Legends. All of you are familiar with this video game, isn't that correct?" Sully took a breath, his lips curling into a slight smirk. "If you think that you're obsessed with it, then the dumb game was Alexander's whole life. He came rushing to me one day, rambling that he had found a way to make our soldiers even stronger. Invisibility, spell-casting, the production of hormones within bodies without even using any drugs. I thought he was insane. But SOLAIRE took his new idea seriously, especially after discovering his talents. He tested on willing participants, and when results were promising, he suggested that he experimented on more individuals. Specifically, me.

"I wasn't sure about his proposition. Many subjects had died or had gone insane. But SOLAIRE practically demanded me to comply with him. Doing what Alexander wanted made him happy, and a pleased Alexander was productive and willing to cooperate. I was terrified when he actually hooked me up to the machine. But when hours passed and he saw that I was actually still alive, he was ecstatic. The tests were a success.

"But Alexander was hardly satisfied. He wanted to conduct the tests on himself. I knew that couldn't really be a good idea, not just because of the fact that if we lost him, we would lose a valuable mind, but something just seemed… off. SOLAIRE seemed to share my worries, but when Alexander threatened to stop working for us, there was no reason good enough to say no. And so, we allowed him to take a so-called 'break' so he would actually be able to be happy while he worked. To put it simply, that was the last day he worked under SOLAIRE itself.

"The last time I saw him, he wasn't necessarily himself. He was much more hostile, menacing us and even making death threats every time we didn't agree with his ideas. But his mind kept producing ideas, more wild than we have ever thought of. Somehow, we were still willing to try to work with Alexander. Of course, you can infer that this really didn't work out. One day, after him and I had a heated argument, he suddenly packed up his things and left. At this point, I honestly didn't care if I never saw him again. We had his work and blueprints and the brilliant minds that worked alongside him. We could have found a way to keep working on his ideas and theories.

"That was before the summer of this year began. Recently, we've been getting reports of fluctuating prana spots within the city of Darkwell. That was when we knew that Alexander had created a way to implement powers on people without them even going missing or becoming deceased. How? We don't know, and we actually don't know a lot overall. All that we know is that you're the ones who have been endowed with the powers of the 'champions' that you play the most. We also know that Alexander didn't _just_ give you these abilities. He's interested in you, each and every one of you, and won't stop until he gets his mitts on you. And when he does… then I'm sure it won't be pretty at all."

It was strange to her that the whole room remained quiet as Sully spoke, most of them staring up at him with eyes that screamed fright and confusion and anger. The red-haired woman that she had seen before laughed hoarsely as she shook her head, her hand thumping on the table as tears gathered in her eyes. "You can't be serious. _Us?_ Having _superpowers_? That's the things that you'd see in comic books and movies," she cackled. "You must be out of your mind. And even if you were right, after all, how do we know that you're not actually the bad guys and you've kidnapped us to brainwash us into fighting for you?"

Carmine blinked at her question before sharing a glance with Zach. It was a pretty good question. Even though Mr. Ravello's whole story sounded completely insane, there was no way that she could tell him that he was crazy. She had turned into a _cougar_ thing and could suddenly form spears out of thin air. He had given a reason, albeit one that sounded shady and overall weird. Sully's brow quivered lightly as he listened to the new face, but surprisingly, he kept his cool while he opened his mouth to speak. "If you don't believe me about the young men and women in this room, then why don't you just ask someone about it?" Sully asked her as he turned towards the blonde sitting at the table. "Roland, why don't you give your opinion about what I just said?"

The young man fumbled at the mention of his name. "U-uhm," he began nervously. "I think what Sully says is right. I mean, he wouldn't really lie to us, right? And if he wanted to hurt us, don't you think he already would have done it?"

"Oh _please_ ," the upset woman spoke up again as she rolled her dark eyes.

As always Zach remained quiet, but Liam appeared to be heavily thinking about what was going on about them. Carmine, however, remained silent as well, but not due to the fact that she did not want to raise her voice. She literally didn't know what to say. Every time she opened her mouth, no words came out. Thankfully, she was pretty sure that her friends felt the same way, as they only looked at each other with worry and concern. She tapped her fingers against the table, one of her brows arching upwards as she watched the situation before her.

"Listen, I know I'm not crazy. But there was a meep standing right at the foot of my bed this morning, and then I found out I could make portals that go through walls! You play League, too, right? Then tell me that what happened to me doesn't remind you of the things that Bard can do!"

"I'll tell you what that is. It's _schizophrenic._ Do you really think that you can get powers from a stupid video game?"

"Oh, as if you didn't get any powers. There has to be a reason _you're_ here."

"Enough," Sully cut in, his expression now one of annoyance. His fingers joined Carmine's on the table, and he leaned forward, glowering at the bickering duo. "If you don't believe me, then that's your choice. But I'm being honest with you—if you leave this place and refuse to work with us, then Alexander won't waste any time in trying to get you. You'll be kidnapped and tortured for information before he finds a use for you. That is, if he actually does. If not, well, he doesn't really have any room for things that aren't beneficial to him."

The young man and woman simply stared at him. The ginger opened her mouth to speak, but Mr. Ravello raised a hand. "I gave you a simple choice. If you stay here, you'll be safe and I'll try to care for and teach you the best I can. If you leave, then you'll be dog food. So, make your decisions before I make them for you." No one moved, much to his obvious content. With a small smile, he clasped his hands behind his back continued. "Very well then. Now, I'm sure that you all have a certain set of magical abilities. You'll have to get accustomed to using them if you want to learn how to defend yourselves and each other. Before that, I believe it's a good idea if you all introduce yourselves first."

The small group only stared at each other. Carmine didn't know how to exactly tell everyone that she could make pointy sticks and could even turn into a cat. To her, it felt like giving a presentation in front of a group of students. She felt her blood pressure rise; it was almost as if she was in high school again, showing a project to people in a class that she didn't care about. And, to make matters worse, no one even made the attempt to get up from their chairs. She couldn't help but feel somewhat intimidated as Mr. Ravello sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose before speaking again. "If no one will do it willingly, then I'll have to pick someone at random. Calina," he turned towards the red-haired girl. "Will you please start for us?"

Calina heaved a sigh, rolling her eyes as she got up from the table. "Hey," she started awkwardly, crossing her arms in front of her chest as she glowered at the faces before her. Her face became somewhat pinkish, and for a moment, she couldn't help but emphasize with her. "My name's Calina. I guess I can say I play as much League as you guys do," she shrugged. "I play top lane a lot. I love tanks. I like being able to stun a squishy character and help my teammates kill them. I really think my favorite champion is Darius. Uh…" she faltered for a moment as she glanced up at Sully. "I just… like how can be tanky and do damage at the same time?"

When she was done, the woman awkwardly sat back down in her chair. _Christ,_ Carmine realized as Roland got up to talk about his powers next. _It really_ _ **is**_ _like school._

It didn't take long for the individuals within the room to explain their circumstances; Roland had the powers of Bard, as he stated before. Liam explained how he found out he had Azir powers. To her surprise, Zach got up next and stated when he discovered his Ekko powers. Carmine didn't really want to get up when it was her turn, but she hesitantly lifted herself up from the seat. "I know this is strange, but I thought I was absolutely mental when I turned into Nidalee's cougar form," she began, feeling anxious as everyone shifted their eyes towards her. "My name's Carmine, and if I had known that this was going to happen, I would have stayed the hell away from the game and never touch it again. But, I didn't, and I think that we should listen to Sully," she turned towards the black-haired man in particular. "Like, what's his name… Roland, said. If Mr. Ravello and Lissa really did want to hurt us, they would have just attacked us when we didn't even know we had powers. I think we should give both of them a chance to help us."

They only continued to stare at her with a variety of expressions. Carmine found it interesting that she could see that all of them were frightened, but in different ways. Zach didn't make it evident, but she knew that her friend was a rather nervous person who got anxious about anything. Liam did not say anything, but the look that he gave her made her pity him. There was no way that anyone in this room did not feel worried over what was going on. "Does anyone else have an issue with what Carmine said?" Sully sounded once again from his corner. The group glanced at each other once more, but before anyone could give an answer, the large metal doors to the room slid open. Fluorescent light flooded the conference hall as it only added to the shining rays that the computers gave off. She turned her head to see who exactly was the new arrival, but she could only see two strategically-armored men drag a half-limp body into the room. Mr. Ravello made a sound of discontent. "Is this the one?"

"Yes. Garrett Fischerman, age twenty-five. We believe that the stress of the situation has caused 'em to act up," Liz approached Sully's side. "And making Zed's essence take control of his body for short periods of time."

The soldiers dropped the man on the floor. Carmine leaned forward in her seat to get a better look at Garrett. She didn't expect him to look like a mess; his skin shimmered as he sweat profusely, and panicked gasps left his body as he tried to get himself up from the floor. "What's wrong with him?" Calina asked, her voice terrified.

Sully shook his head. "This is another issue that I would have liked to bring up at another time, but it seems like our friend finally decided to join us. Basically, Alexander has decided to show some restraint in his ideas and gave the affected subjects something that's called a _prana pool_. It's the amount of energy you have in store in order to cast spells and abilities," he hummed to himself as he watched Garrett closely. After moments of struggle, he had finally lifted himself up from the ground, albeit on shaky legs that wobbled violently every so often. "This is the consequence of using up all of your prana. Fatigue, exhaustion, cold-sweats, shortness of breath, fever, and even death in extreme cases."

She couldn't help but feel shocked. The male wheezed as he leaned heavily on the edge of the table, his head hanging low like a mangy starved dog. "What's going to happen to him?" Carmine asked in awe.

"Luckily, he isn't stupid enough to continue to try using his powers. He'll be fine, but he'll act ill for the next day or so. He needs time to recuperate. Not to mention, Liz's poison is very fierce, and so his body is fighting that as well. But it will fade away, as always."

Liz appeared flustered for a moment before she pulled a bottle from her satchel. The woman skirted around the table as she approached, handing the container of water to one of the men. "Here," she told him as he took it from her hands. "The water will make him feel better."

"You also said something about essence taking control of bodies for a short amount of time. What does that mean?" Liam called out next, his eyes gazing up at Sully.

"It's somewhat hard to explain," Sully crossed his arms again as he thought, a look of concern about his expression. "We don't know why, but there have been cases of the champion's personality showing up in subjects, as if they had contracted a form of multiple personality disorder. This could either be a hassle to deal with, or just plain deadly," he nodded towards Garrett. "Take him for instance. He was reported to have the powers of Zed, and almost slaughtered his roommate before Liz had to intervene."

Carmine's hands gripped each other beneath the table. Was that why she felt such a voracious appetite when was in her cougar aspect? She dropped her gaze to the dull gray of the work surface, suddenly feeling uncomfortable with her situation. _Am I going crazy?_

"Hey," a hand rested on her shoulder, breaking her out of her short trance of worry. She looked up to see Liam staring at her with concern. "Are you alright?"

She blushed, flustered; she hadn't expected him to notice. "Yeah," Carmine quickly said, avoiding his gaze. From the corner of her eye, she could have sworn that she saw Liam's mouth open, but Sully's voice overshadowed his.

"So here's the deal. I'll try to teach you guys how to use your powers for your own benefit," Sully watched as Garrett was guided to a seat at the furthest corner of the table. The male eagerly sipped at the water while the soldiers tended to him. "I will also aide you in discovering how deep your prana pools are, as well. This is extremely important to learn. If you don't have an idea of how to defend yourselves, then Alexander will have his way with you. For now, I suggest that all of you get rest. Liz will make sure that all of you are fed and watered, along with being properly clothed, as she has done before. I won't bother separating pairs for any longer, since you seem to understand that this is what must be done.

"But know this," Sully lifted a finger. "If you don't bother cooperating, then it doesn't only hurt your 'teammates', so to speak. I won't try to deal with warmongers or people who try to spread gossip and trouble. If there's any sort of issue, then you will be quickly punished. Remember that SOLAIRE and I are only trying to protect you, not harm you… but if bad comes to worse, then I won't hold myself back from handling conflicts. Understood?"

When Carmine, along with everyone in the room, nodded in comprehension, Sully finally turned away. "Very well, then," he stated. "You're all dismissed. Liz will show you around the place and tell you what you can and can't do. Regarding Garrett," he looked over his shoulder at the male. "Take him back to hospice. I don't know what made you think he can even get out of bed in that state…"

It only took a few moments for the men to once again spirit Garrett away. Carmine watched as they exited the room, basically dragging Garrett behind them as they wandered down the hallway. They turned a distant corner and disappeared from her sight. "Well then," she felt Zach get up from his seat. "This has been a rather surprising day."

"Surprising isn't the end of it," Calina strode towards them with Roland following behind. "I really thought I was the only one with powers."

"I don't want to find out how you discovered that you can produce a giant axe out of nothing," Liam mused with a smirk.

Calina glared at him. "Want me to do it again? 'Cause I can do it again."

The blond man quickly shook his head. "I'm fine with relying on my own imagination," Liam chuckled nervously.

Carmine frowned. She wasn't sure how either of them could engage in such banter. Then again, perhaps humor was something that healed their worry. It certainly didn't do so for her. "We should probably get going with Liz," she glanced over at the brunette who was gathering her things.

"Oh yeah," Liz perked up at the sound of her name, prancing towards the gathering with a grin on her features. "The whole place is huge, so it'll take like a day to show you everythin'. But no worries, I've got it handled!"

"Just try to withstand her extreme cheeriness and loud voice," Sully sighed as he walked past them.

Roland snorted childishly at the man's remark. "I doubt most of us will," he muttered loud enough for her to hear as he elbowed Carmine's side. She glanced at him, but did not return his chide. _I have to relax_ , she told herself, making sure to stay close to the group as they headed out of the room. _Everything will be solved soon, Carmine. You just got to relax…_


End file.
